A model who did a runway walk at her friend’s open-casket viewing has defended her high-fashion tribute to the late designer after facing backlash over the viral footage.
Erica L. Carrington paid homage to Vernest Moore by strutting her stuff in one of his silver Ve’Moore Couture designs at the Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey on November 10.
The red carpet sight
The ‘red carpet viewing’ was one of three events honoring Moore, who passed away on October, 22, a few weeks after his 62nd birthday.
‘I think we sent Vernest off the way that he would have liked, and that’s really all that matters,’ Carrington explained on TMZ Live.
She shared a video of her catwalk at the viewing on Instagram with a heartfelt caption about what the moment meant to her, saying it was one of the ‘most challenging things’ she has had to do.
‘I CAN’T BELIEVE this would be my final walk for you, so I WON’T! From now on…even if I’m not walking FOR YOU, I’ll be walking WITH YOU, because I know you’ll ALWAYS be with me,’ she wrote to Moore.
The footage shows Carrington modeling a beaded headdress and a long-sleeve silver gown designed by Moore as she walked into the viewing.
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She struck a pose before strutting down the stairs and onto the red carpet toward Moore’s open casket.
Carrington blew her friend a kiss, struck one last pose, and then walked to her seat.
The video went viral and was posted on Twitter, formerly X, where viewers were stunned to see her strutting up to an open casket.
‘I guarantee you can’t guess how this video ends,’ one person wrote. ‘Baby I thought this was a fashion show… WHAT,’ another added.
